Before the Beginning
by UniMyth
Summary: [MWPP] Follows the Marauders from their first prank together to graduation and beyond. Please R&R! Rated for possible language in later chapters, but nothing right now.
1. First Meetings

A/N: J. K. Rowling created Hogwarts and most of the characters in this story. I made them younger, but they are still HERS!!!!!

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First Meetings 

James Potter shoved his trunk up onto the luggage rack, and stretched like a cat. Looking around the empty compartment, he nodded in satisfaction. He knew that it had been a good idea to get to the train early, before the rest of the students crowded up platform and train.

Idly he wondered what House he would be in, but decided it wouldn't matter, as long as the other boys in his year weren't too big of goody-goodies. That probably ruled out Hufflepuff, and James would kill himself rather than be put in Slytherin, so that left him Ravenclaw and Gryffindor.

Yawning, he leaned back in his seat. He would find out in a few hours anyway, so he might as well relax and forget about it. Yawning again, James tried to keep his eyes open. He had been too excited to get much sleep the night before, and it was getting harder and harder to stay awake. Slowly his head dropped to his chest.

A loud thump woke him up. Rubbing the back of his neck, James investigated the noise. It was not hard to find the source. Just outside his door, a boy about his own age of eleven was glaring at his trunk, which had apparently just fallen on his foot.

The boy glanced up. "A little help here?" he asked, gesturing at the trunk.

James looked surprised for a second, then stepped out into the corridor and grabbed one end of the trunk. Together, the two boys managed to get it into the compartment and up onto the luggage rack.

"So," James asked, "what's your name?"

"Remus Lupin. What's yours?"

"James Potter. You a first year?"

"Yeah."

James grinned. "Good. So'm I."

Remus grinned back. He started to say something, but was interrupted by the entrance of a tall, dark haired boy.

"Mind if I join you?" the newcomer asked.

"I don't. What about you, James?"

James grinned again. "Have a seat," he said, gesturing towards the empty seats.

"Thanks," the new boy replied. "The only other compartments that have seats left are occupied by my cousins." His face showed what he thought about sitting with his cousins. "I'm Sirius Black, by the way."

"James Potter."

"Remus Lupin."

"Say, do either of you know what House you want to be in?" James asked suddenly.

"Gryffindor," Sirius replied immediately. "My parents would be–_will be_-furious." Somehow, that thought didn't seem to disturb him. If anything, it seemed to thrill him. James and Remus didn't appear to notice.

Lupin shrugged. "I don't really care, I just don't want to be in Slytherin."

"I don't want Hufflepuff or Slytherin. Anything else would be fine, I think." James nodded sharply, as if to emphasize his point. "Yup, anything but Hufflepuff and Slytherin."

Remus frowned. "What's wrong with Hufflepuff?" he asked, a bit sharper than he had intended.

James looked slightly taken aback. "Nothing, really, I guess. But I bet that every time I try to pull a prank, one of them will run off and tattle."

"What makes you say that?"

"Dad said that Hufflepuffs like rules. Sorry if I…offended you somehow."

Remus looked down at his feet. "Sorry, James. I didn't mean to bite your head off."

"Would you both _please_ stop apologizing?" Sirius broke in. "You're both idiots. Does that make you feel better?"

"Not particularly, no."

"Good."

James laughed. "Sirius," he began, "I think I'm going to like you."

Sirius mock-bowed. "I live to serve," he joked.

A girl, looking strikingly similar to Sirius, poked her head in. Her mouth twisted into a smirk. "What are you doing here, Sirius? I thought the Hogwarts Express was reserved for actual _people_!" she said mockingly.

Sirius growled something and reached for his new wand, all his joking flown out the window. The girl smirked again and left.

"Who was that?" Remus asked.

"My cousin," Sirius responded shortly. "Bellatrix Black. One of her sisters, Andromeda, is all right, but Bellatrix is like most of my family: obsessed with purity of blood and the Dark Arts."

"That's pretty much how my mum described your family," James said absently, as if he was only paying attention with half of his mind. The other half was firmly fixed on a red-haired girl he had spotted on the platform. He smiled foolishly. She was _beautiful_. Absolutely beautiful.

"James! James! Hogwarts Express to James!"

"Huh?" James asked, coming out of his reverie.

"What happened to you? You weren't paying attention to anything in here!" Sirius caught sight of the pack of girls. "Ohhhh. Which one?"

"Which one what?" Remus asked, leaning over. He too noticed the girls. "Oh." He leaned back into his seat and took out one of his textbooks, apparently uninterested.

James scowled at both of them. "She'll hear you!" he hissed.

"Which one is going to hear us?" Sirius asked impatiently.

"The redhead," he muttered. "Now will you shut up?!"

Sirius looked at her. "She's okay," he said indifferently, losing interest.

"Just okay!" James yelped looking liking Sirius had mortally wounded him. "She's _beautiful_."

"You need to get out more, mate. She's not that wonderful."

James shook his head in disbelief and would have gone on if an older blond boy hadn't appeared just then to toss a much smaller boy into their compartment. James and Sirius jumped to their feet, wands out. The blond did not appear to feel the least bit threatened. He sneered at them and left.

"Malfoy," Sirius said, shoving his wand into his robes with unnecessary force.

"What?" Remus asked, helping the small boy up.

"Lucius Malfoy," Sirius explained. "His parents and mine are friends."

"Ah," Remus replied, much enlightened. "Are you alright?" he asked the kid, who nodded.

"I…I'm Peter," he said nervously. "P…Peter Pettigrew."

"Hello, Peter," Remus said, smiling encouragingly. "I'm Remus, that's James, and that's Sirius."

Peter managed a small smile. "H…hello."

"Hey Peter." James smiled back politely.

Sirius just nodded at Peter, his brain working overtime. Slowly he smiled. "I have an idea," he said. "Anyone else want to teach Malfoy not toss people around?"

James looked up. "Sounds great to me. What'd you have in mind?"

"Wait. Remus, Peter. In or out?"

Peter shook his head mutely.

"Remus?"

Remus bit his lip. These might be the first friends since he was five, but he didn't want to get in trouble. But then again, Malfoy really should learn not to throw people around… A glance at James and Sirius made up his mind. "I'm in, but we better not get caught."

Sirius' grin widened. "Fair enough. All right, this is what we have to do…"


	2. The Sorting

Disclaimer: J. K. Rowling created Hogwarts and most of the characters in this story. I made them younger, but they are still HERS!!!!!

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The Sorting 

The four first years stepped down off the train, laughing fit to burst. They had turned Malfoy's face into a fungus patch and managed to cover his compartment with slime. Red and gold, of course, just to annoy them since they were all either Slytherins or potential Slytherins. Somehow, they managed to escape with only a few minor curses shot at them, which they had dodged. The Slytherins had seemed too surprised to do anything else.

Just as they were starting to calm down, Remus gestured towards where the prankees (A/N: is that even a word?) were getting off, all of them still covered in red and gold. The four of them burst out laughing once more, and they weren't the only ones. Students all along the platform were now giggling and pointing at the unfortunate Slytherins. James gave Sirius a discreet low-five. "Great plan, Sirius," he said, grinning. "Somehow I don't think they'll forget _this_ in a hurry.

Sirius was about to reply when somebody called over the crowd. "Firs' years! Firs' years over here!"

The four of them turned and struggled towards the source of the voice. When they reached him, Remus and Peter stopped dead. The man was several feet taller than Sirius, who seemed to be the tallest of the first years. Who, or rather _what_, was this man?

"C'mon, follow me – any more firs' years? Mind your step now! Firs' years follow me!"

Slipping and sliding, all the first years struggled to keep up with the man's long strides. After a few minutes, the first years were out of breath and they had reached a lake.

"No more'n four to a boat!" The man called.

Immediately, James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter claimed a boat for themselves. James leaned over the side. "Wicked," he said, watching a tentacle move just below the surface. "Hey, Sirius, if any of your cousins get too annoying, you could always toss them in here."

"Really?" Sirius asked eagerly, looking down into the lake. He saw another tentacle move under the boat and grinned. "Sweet."

A few minutes later, the boats landed. The first years all trooped up to the castle, where a tall woman was waiting for them. As they stopped in front of her, her gaze swept over all of them, eventually landing on two figures covered in red and gold slime, which she removed with a flick of her wand.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," she said. "I am Professor McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress. The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be Sorted into your houses. While you are here, your house will be like your family. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room.

"The four houses are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin." Sirius pretended to gag, but stopped after a sharp look from McGonagall. "Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards." ("Even if they are all Dark," Sirius muttered.) "While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rule-breaking will lose house points." (James and Sirius grinned at each other.) "At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the House Cup.

"The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I shall return when they are ready for you. Please wait quietly."

"I'm starving, I hope the Sorting is quick," Sirius said.

Peter looked at him incredulously. "How can you not be nervous at a time like this?"

"Easily. My mother's described the Sorting to me thousands of times. You put the Hat on your head, it sometimes talks to you, and then it yells out your house. Easy."

"You just put on a hat?" Remus asked, stunned.

"Yeah."

Professor McGonagall had returned. "Come with me," she said. She led them into the Great Hall. Even Sirius was slightly awed. It was huge!! Four long tables with students and one with teachers fit easily into the Hall. Glancing up, He saw candles floating in mid-air and above them…was that the sky? 

He didn't notice that the rest of the first years had stopped and as a result, ran right into the boy in front of him. The boy turned and glared at him. "Watch it!"

Before Sirius could say something that would get him into trouble, the Hat started to sing. Leaning over to James, Sirius whispered, "I found our next target."

James looked at the boy Sirius had run into and grinned. "I think he might appreciate some help washing his hair, don't you?" he asked quietly as the Hat finished its song.

Sirius grinned back. "Yeah. It's so greasy, he probably never washes himself," he whispered back as Professor McGonagall started calling off names.

"Avery, Anthony!"

A small boy with light brown hair strode forward, trying to look bored.

"Slytherin," Sirius whispered, just before the Hat open its "mouth."

"SLYTHERIN!"

"Told you so."

"Black, Bellatrix!"

Sirius' cousin stepped forward and sat on the stool.

"SLYTHERIN!"

"_Big_ surprise there."

"Black, Sirius!"

Sirius gave James, Remus, and Peter a grin before going up and sitting on the stool. Just before the hat slipped down and covered his eyes, he caught sight of his cousin Andromeda waving at him from her seat at the Ravenclaw table. He grinned.

"You're a tricky one," a small voice said in his ear. "Brave enough to go against your family, yes, but definitely cunning and ambitious."

"If you put me in Slytherin, I will _kill_ you," he told the Hat silently.

"What's wrong with Slytherin? It will nurture your ambition, sharpen your cunning."

"Yeah, and make my parents proud! I don't want them to be proud, I want them to know that I'm not like them!"

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."

"Very well, you belong in GRYFFINDOR!" Sirius heard the last word shouted to the whole Hall. He took off the Hat and walked over to Gryffindor, smiling happily.

The Sorting continued, with McGonagall calling out one name after another. When she called out "Evans, Lily!" the girl James had been going gaga over stepped forward and Sirius filed the name away for future reference. More names were called and Sirius stared longingly at his plate, willing it to fill with food.

"Lestrange, Rodolphus!"

A twitchy, dark-haired boy walked up and put on the Hat. It took a long time to make up its mind, but finally yelled out "SLYTHERIN!"

"Lupin, Remus!"

Remus took a deep breath and stepped out of the line of first years. He walked up to the Hat, hoping that he didn't look as nervous as he felt. He sat on the stool and let the hat slide down over his eyes.

"Now, then. A great deal of courage, an excellent mind, fierce loyalty…but where to put you?"

"Please Gryffindor, please Gryffindor," Remus chanted silently.

"Gryffindor, eh? You would do just as well in Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff."

"Gryffindor, please, _Gryffindor_!"

"Ah, well, if you insist. GRYFFINDOR!"

Remus took the Sorting Hat off and lightly set it on the stool before stumbling over to the Gryffindor table and collapsing on the bench next to Sirius.

"I'm glad _that's_ over," Remus said, looking completely relieved.

"Aw, was wittle Wemy afwaid of the big bad Hat?" Sirius teased in a baby voice.

Remus elbowed Sirius in reply. "Quit it. It's not funny."

"Yes it is. C'mon, Remus, admit it. If it was anyone but you, it'd be hilarious."

Remus decided that the wisest course of action would be to ignore Sirius, which he started doing at once.

Sirius laughed to himself for a couple of minutes before realizing that Remus wasn't looking at him. "Remus?" No answer. "Aw, Remus, I was just kidding! Come on, say something!"

"Shhh! Peter should be called soon!"

Sure enough, the next name called was, "Pettigrew, Peter!"

Peter walked up to the stool, shaking like a leaf. The Hat slid down over his eyes, shutting out the light. Peter had a brief panic attack before hearing the voice start to talk.

"Well, well, what do we have here? Unless I'm much mistaken, you're not Ravenclaw, and not Slytherin, either. No, and definitely not Hufflepuff. That leaves you in GRYFFINDOR!" 

Peter walked over to Gryffindor table on legs that were not quite steady. He sat down next to Remus, who patted his arm sympathetically.

"Potter, James!"

James walked casually up to the stool without a trace of nerves. The Hat barely touched his head before yelling out "GRYFFINDOR!"

James grinned and joined his friends. They had all made it into Gryffindor. Hogwarts had better watch out!

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A/N: I wasn't sure where to put Peter: I didn't see him as having enough brains for Ravenclaw, and I couldn't put him in Hufflepuff "where they are just and _loyal_" because he sold his best friend out to the most evil wizard ever. I did consider Slytherin, but I figured that James and Sirius wouldn't be friends with a Slyth, so I threw him in Gryffindor.

Thanks to **EloraCooper4** for reviewing! And Andromeda is fourth year Ravenclaw. ^_^


	3. Getting Lost

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Don't sue. I don't have any money anyway.

A/N: Sorry to anyone who's reading this for the delay. Been _trying_ to work on 5P1S, but decided that I had better either update this or delete it-which I'd never do. A warning, though: updates _will be_ sporadic at best until I finish 5P1S, or until this becomes more popular than 5P1S. Whichever comes first, since I like them both equally-it really doesn't matter to me which one I update first, so it makes sense to let you guys decide. Please try not to hate me too much.

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**Chapter Three: Getting Lost**

Finally the last first year (Yanier, Lauren) had taken her place at the Gryffindor table.

Dumbledore stood up. "I have a few start-of-term announcements to make," he said. Down at the Gryffindor table, Sirius groaned. _More_ delay before they could eat.

The Headmaster's eyes twinkled in Sirius' direction. "However, they will keep until after the feast. Tuck in!" With that, food appeared on all the tables.

Sirius immediately dug as if there would be no tomorrow, with the other new Gryffindor boys not far behinnd. Eventually, though, even he began to slow down and take an interest in something other than his plate.

"Full?" Remus asked, trying not to laugh.

Sirius shook his head. "Gotta save room for dessert," he explained.

James, Remus, and Peter all stared at him. "You're not full," James said, just to make sure.

"No," Sirius replied, giving James an odd look. "Why?"

"Maybe because you've already eaten more than anyone else?" Remus suggested.

"Hey, I'm a growing boy. I need my strength," Sirius defended himself.

James snickered. "Don't grow too much, or you'll be able to intimidate that giant sometime in the next year or two."

"It's all part of my Master Plan," Sirius said seriously. **(A/N: Serious Sirius. Hee hee hee...oh, right, the story. Sorry, carry on!)** "All will bow down before me, the Great-"

"Excuse me," a boy interupted. Sirius blinked at him. "Could you pass the potatoes?"

"Sure," Remus said, passing the aforementioned dish.

"Kevin Price," the boy introduced himself, taking the potatoes. "I guess we'll be dorm-mates."

"Guess so," Sirius said unenthusiastically. He didn't appear to like have the description of his Master Plan interrupted.

Kevin frowned slightly and turned back to his plate. 

"That wasn't very nice," Remus scolded, looking at Sirius. 

"Neither was interrupting me," Sirius retorted. 

"Relax, Remus. We can get to know Price when we get up to the dormitory," James said, trying to forestall any arguments. 

Remus gave Sirius a reproachful look, but let the subject drop as desserts appeared. 

Finally, the last of the food vanished , leaving the plates as clean as they had been at the beginning of the feast.  
  
Dumbledore stood up again. "The start of another year! First years should note that the Forbidden Forest is, oddly enough, forbidden, as is the village of Hogsmeade to all below third year. Also, a new tree, identified by Professor Sprout as a Whomping Willow, has been planted on the grounds, and I must ask all students to avoid it as well, or run the risk of serious injury.

"As some of you may already know, our former caretaker, Mr. Pringle, retired at the end of last term. His duties will be taken over by Mr. Filch. I trust you all will show him the proper respect.  
  
"Now, off to bed with you!" 

Halfway down the table from the first year, a girl and boy, both with red badges stood up. 

"First years! Gryffindor first years, follow us!" they called. 

Sighing, the four boys struggled through the crowd, barely managing to keep the Prefects in sight as they left the Great Hall. As they reached the Entrance Hall, the press of bodies dispersed, allowing the four first years to breathe again. 

"Well, that was fun," James said. "Let's not do it again." 

"We better do something," Remus replied. "I don't see the Prefects." 

"What?" Peter squeaked. "Then how are we supposed to find our dorms?" 

"Someone said Gryffindor _Tower_ down at the feast. Let's just head up and see if we can find it on our own," Sirius suggested. 

Maybe it was a mark of how tired they were, but not one of the others objected. Together the four new Gryffindors started up the marble staircase. 

"Now which way?" Peter asked when they reached the top, peering down the left-hand corridor. 

Sirius shrugged. "When in doubt, go right," he said, fitting actions to words. 

Four or five staircases and countless corridors later, the four boys found themselves in a drafty tower room littered with the unmistakable signs of owl habitation. 

"The Owlery," Peter commented. 

"Obviously," James replied, rolling his eyes. Remus frowned, but stayed silent. 

"Well," Sirius said, sighing, "Let's head back down and pick another staircase." 

"Um, this may not be the best time to mention it," Remus said hesitantly, "but there are a hundred and forty-two staircases here at Hogwarts." 

The other three stopped in their tracks. "A hundred and forty-two?" James repeated faintly. 

Sirius groaned. "We'll be searching all night." 

"Well, the sooner we continue, the sooner we'll find it," Remus said. 'Hopefully,' he added silently. 

"Remus is right," James said resignedly. "Let's go." 

They continued wandering for the next hour, finding the Divination classroom, what they presumed to be the Astronomy Tower, simply because it seemed the tallest, and several more besides. As James half-jokingly pointed out, the only tower they _hadn't_ found was the one they were looking for. 

"This is pointless!" Sirius finally burst out. "We're never going to find it!" 

"Find what?" asked a stern female voice from behind them. 

The boys whipped around to face the woman who had introduced herself as Professor McGonagall before the Sorting Feast. The same thought went through all their brains: 'Uh-oh.'

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Whee!!! I finally finished this chapter!! YAY! Not sure how well I did Dumbledore, but, oh, well. Sorry about the cliffie, I couldn't resist!  
  
**kurtcobain4eva**: Hey, thanks for reviewing! Don't worry, Sirius' cousins will get more evil as the story continues. Except Andromeda, of course, since Sirius says that she was his favorite cousin...though come to think of it, that's really not saying much. -) 

**Sparky Cola**: Yeah, I have some words that probably wouldn't be used in that place/time, but I'm an American and I've never even _been_ to England or any other part of Britain, so I don't know what words they'd use instead. Plus I wasn't alive during the seventies, so I don't know the difference between 'new' words and 'old.' I'm glad you like my writing!! Personally, I prefer other authors' works, but it's nice to know that some people like mine. Thanks for reviewing!

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You know the drill. Point, click, and review! 


	4. Sleep Is Good

Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize. -sniff-

Claimer: I _do_ own Kevin Price, though. Oh, joy.

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_"Find what?" asked a stern female voice from behind them. _

_The boys whipped around to face the woman who had introduced herself as Professor McGonagall before the Sorting Feast. The same thought went through all their brains: 'Uh-oh.'

* * *

_**Chapter Four: Sleep is Good...**

"Gryffindor Tower," Sirius said quickly.

"We lost the Prefects," James began.

"And we were tired," Peter continued.

"So we decided to look for it ourselves," Remus finished.

"I see," she replied, her lips pressed together in a thin line. "Did none of you think of returning to the Great Hall and asking a Professor?"

"Er..."

"We...uh..."

"Um..."

It was Remus who summed up the disjointed answers. "Oops."

McGonagall gave them all a suspicious glare. They fidgeted, suddenly feeling guilty, though they weren't entirely sure what for...besides the whole being-out-after-curfew thing, of course.

Finally her gaze softened a bit. Not much, but a little. "Since it is your first night here, I'll let it go. _But_," she continued as the boys exchanged elated glances, "I don't ever want to catch you in the halls at night again."

"Yes ma'am," Remus said, suppressing a relieved sigh.

She gave them all one last look, before turning and leading them to Gryffindor. They stopped in front of a portrait of a fat lady in a pink silk dress.

The boys all stared at the potrait for second, remembering that they had passed it at least twice. None of them had thought that the Gryffindor Common Room would be behind it though. They were brought back to the here-and-now by McGonagall rapping on the frame to wake the lady in the portrait up.

"Turnip leaves," she said, before the Fat Lady could say anything.

With a sigh from its occupant, the portrait swung forward (Peter had to jump backwards to avoid getting hit), revealing the entrance to a rather large room full of squashy armchairs with a roaring fire in the hearth. "Your dormitories are up the stairs to your left," she informed them tartly, as the boys clambered through the portrait hole.

"Thank you," Remus said politely, as he waited for Peter to get through the hole. She gave him a small smile before heading off down the hall. As James and Sirius finally just pulled Peter in, Remus stepped through with relative ease, closing the portrait behind him.

One of the prefects from the feast emerged from one of the chairs in front of the fire. "Oh, good," he said, obviously relieved. "You four made it. Do you know how easy it is to get lost in this castle?"

"We kind of figured that out," Remus replied dryly, stifling a yawn.

The older boy's mouth quirked into a smile. "Yes, I suppose you would have. My name is Frank Longbotom," he said, abruptly changing the subject. "I'm one of the fifth year prefects. If you have any problems feel free to talk to me or Gideon Prewett-he's Head Boy. Okay?"

"Sure," James said, yawning. "Whatever you say."

Frank grinned. "C'mon, I'll take you up to your dorm." With that, he started up one of the staircases, the four first years stumbling up behind him.

"Stairs," Sirius moaned. "Why does it have to be more stairs?"

Frank ignored him, stopping in front of a door with a wooden sign bearing the words 'First Years.'

"Here we are," he said cheerfully. He eyed them. "Try to get at least a little sleep tonight. No one will be very happy with you if you make Gryffindor go negative on the first day. If you're lucky though, you might get History of Magic first. Best class to fall asleep in. Well, I better get to my own dormitory. 'Night!" He continued up the stairs, leavng the four first years staring after him.

"That Longbottom is much to wide awake," Sirius grumbled eventually, opening the door. Immediately he wished that he had left it closed.

"Made it here, did you?" Kevin Price stuck his head through the hangings on the bed closest to the door. "Took you long enough."

"Not as long as I would have liked," Sirius retorted. "You're still awake."

Price glared. "How much trouble are you in?" he asked, an unspoken "I hope it's a lot" hanging in the air.

"None," Remus replied, slipping past Sirius and locating the bed with his trunk at the foot. "Why?"

"Just curious," Kevin replied, pulling his head back behind the hangings.

"Curiosity killed the cat," James remarked, sitting down on his bed.

"And satisfaction brought it back," Price shot back.  
-----------------------------------------------  
The next morning, Kevin was the first one out of the door.

"You'd think we have the plague or something," Sirius grumbled, pulling his robes on.

"Gee, I wonder why," James said sarcastically, pulling on his shoes. "And your robes are backwards."

"Wonder what classes we have today," Remus said, yawning as Sirius righted his robes.

"Who cares?" James and Sirius said together.

Remus gave them a Look. "I do. We should wake Peter up, you know."

"Yeah."

"You do it."

"You're closer."

"Fine," Sirius said, scooping up one of his shoes and throwing it at Peter's bed. They heard a small yelp and Peter stuck his head out, blinking sleepily.

"What was that for?"

"For staying asleep too long. We have to get down to breakfast."

"And classes," Remus added.

"Yeah, whatever," James said, rolling his eyes. "Breakfast is more important though."

"No, it's not."

"Yes, it is!"

"Is not."

"Is."

"Is not."

They continued in this vein for several minutes until Peter finally finished getting ready.

"Let's go," Sirius said, effectively cutting off the argument between James and Remus. 

"Right behind you," James said. 

"Likewise," Remus said. 

Peter squeaked something and brought up the rear.

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Yay! Chapter 4 is finished! Now I can get to work on Chapter 5! (And Chapter 7 of 5P1S for any of you that are reading that too.) This chapter is mostly filler-sorry! But I've been having some problems at home and haven't had much time to come up with anything good. Next chapter will be better, I promise. 

Review Replies:  
shadow929: Not in too much...yet... I'm glad you like it!

Akalei: I'm glad you like it! And Behind Closed Doors is really good! Please update it soon!

Kaydon: McGonagall really didn't do much to them. But I see her as being pretty fair and it _was_ their first night in the castle. But don't worry, the next time she catches them out of bed, they're going to be in deep trouble...kinda like when she caught Harry and Hermione after they had sent Norbert off.

diamond004: Sorry, the boys aren't in too much trouble. That'll come later. Next chapter maybe. Hope you liked it anyway!


	5. Fights and a New Friend

Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize, including most of the plot. -sob-

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**Chapter Five: Fights and a New Friend**

The four Gryffindor first years stopped as soon as they stepped past the portrait of the Fat Lady.  
  
"Does anyone remember how to get back to the Great Hall?" James finally asked after they had stood there for several minutes.  
  
"Nope, I was counting on you for that," Sirius said.  
  
"I was too tired," Remus said, grinning sheepishly.  
  
"I forgot," Peter replied, cheeks reddening.  
  
"Well, you could always ask," came a slightly miffed voice from behind them.  
  
The four boys whirled around, all with a distinct sense of dejà vu. No one was there. "Well?" the voice asked again, and the boys realized that it was the portrait speaking. Remus yelped and jumped backward, while James snickered.  
  
Sirius stepped forward. "I'm sorry. It just never occured to us that a lady as beautiful and intelligent as you would ever deign to help four first years," he said flatteringly.  
  
The Fat Lady giggled, blushing furiously. When she managed to control herself, she pointed them down the proper hallway, still blushing.  
  
Sirius smiled charmingly at her before following the other three down the hallway. As soon as they had rounded the corner and were out of earshot, all four of them burst out laughing.  
  
"Where did you learn to do that?" James asked Sirius, grinning wide enough to split his face in two.  
  
"Picked up a few things here and there," Sirius replied vaguely. "Why'd you jump back?" he asked looking at Remus. "You acted like you've never heard a portrait talk before!"  
  
"I haven't," Remus said quietly.  
  
Sirius froze. "Why not?" he asked cautiously.  
  
"My mum's Muggle," Remus said, shrugging. "I never met any other magic kids until yesterday. We pretty much kept to ourselves."  
  
"You're Muggle-born?" It was hard to tell what Sirius was thinking.  
  
"Half-blood," Remus replied.  
  
"Why?" James asked, frowning at Sirius. "You said yesterday that you hate your family's ideas. So why does it matter if Remus is half-blood?"  
  
"I do! It's just...you've never met my mum, James! She'd scare _anyone_! And if she ever found out that I was hanging around with anyone that wasn't pure-blood..." Sirius paused, apparently trying to get himself under control. "Look, I wouldn't put it past her to use one of the Unforgivables on me."  
  
James quite obviously didn't believe him. He rolled his eyes and stalked off. Peter and Remus glanced at each other and then ran after James.  
  
"What was _that_ all about?" Remus asked when they caught up. "You practically accused him of being like those Slytherins on the train!"  
  
James scowled. "He _is_ like those Slytherins on the train! Were you even _listening_?"  
  
Remus raised an eyebrow. "Yes. And I think you were being too hard on him."  
  
James snarled and turned to Peter. "What about you?" he demanded.  
  
Peter looked stunned and not a little scared to be asked his opinion on the matter. "Well...I...I..."  
  
James glared. Remus stepped between them. "You're doing it again!" he accused.

Startled, James blinked at Remus. "Doing what?" he asked, completely bewildered. "I'm not saying that Peter is like the Slytherins!"

Remus sighed impatiently. "Not that. Jumping down someone's throat for having a different opinion."

"I was not!" James replied indignantly. He paused. "Was I?"

Peter nodded mutely. Remus didn't bother. He just stared at James, tapping a foot impatiently.

James scuffed a foot against the floor. "Alright, maybe I was," he saidgrudgingly, not meeting Remus' eye. "Just a little."

"So you're going to apologize to Sirius?" Remus prompted.

"No! He _was_ acting like a Slytherin! So, since it's his fault, I'll apologize when he does."

Rolling his eyes, Remus decided that that was probably the best he was going to get, so he continued down the hall. "C'mon, Peter," he called. "I recognize these stairs; we'll be down to breakfast in no time. Are you coming James?" Remus' tone was noticeably cooler than it had been earlier, but James ignored it.

"Yes," he replied.

Remus shrugged and led them down the stairs and the three of them managed to reach the Great Hall with a minimum of wrong turnings-five to be exact.  
------------------------------------------------  
Sirius stormed back to the Gryffindor common room, his appetite gone. How /dare/ that...that...that...that _Potter_ imply that he was like his family! What did he know anyway? Just a spoiled rich kid who thought the world revolved around him.

He collapsed into one of the armchairs and glared at the fire, plotting horrible deaths for James Potter. He wasn't sure how long he had been sitting there when he felt a light nudge on his arm.

He looked up into the incredibly green eyes of Lily Evans. "Hey," she said.

"Hey."

"You weren't at breakfast," she continued.

"Wasn't hungry."

She nodded, as if expecting that answer. "Professor McGanagall was out timestables," she said, handing him a slip of parcment.

He stared at her, surprised. "Thanks. Your name's Lily Evans, right?"

"And you're Sirius Black," she said by way of confirmation.

"The one and only."

She laughed. "Come on. We better hurry, or we'll be late to class."

"Which class?" he wondered aloud, glancing down at the timetable. When he realized which class (and more importantly who they had it with), he nearly groaned.

"Double Transfiguration with Slytherin," she said, looking way more cheerful than any Gryffindor heading to a class with Slytherins should ever look. "Now come on!"

Sirius considered saying that he didn't care, but decided gainst it. He had a feeling that Lily Evans would drag him there if she had to. "Alright," he said, standing up. He towered over her.

She gaped up at him for a second, then shook her head. "Well," she said impishly, opening the portrait hole. "Are you coming or not?"

* * *

A/N: Okay, chapter six will be up later today (it's currently sitting on a floppy disk, staring up at me evilly), as will chapter eight of 5P1S.

Now, for those of you that I know are going to be wondering about the fight between James and Sirius: first off, they've only known each other for a day, they're really not that close yet. Secondly, James hates the dark arts (ref. OotP) and he also presumably hates the pure-blood mania that often seems to come with the dark arts. Sirius has been raised thinking that half-bloods and Muggleborns are less than pure-bloods, and while he really _doesn't_ believe it, in this chapter, he's tired and Remus surprised him. Don't worry, they'll get back together in the next chapter.

**Review Replies:**

shadow929: Glad :you like it! Here you go! Sorry about the delay.

Miss Anonymous hp: Glad you like! Here you go!

Tekvah Ariel: Ah, Peter's house. Well, after I wrote that chapter, I surfed around a bit and came across the records of a chat in which she confirms that Peter was a Gryffindor. And no, all evil wizards aren't in Slytherin. The two people who've said that (Hagrid and Ron) are both Gryffindors and somewhat...shall we say...biased? But I fully understand you thinking that-J. K. Rowling is certainly pushing us to believe that...and because I'm just naturally suspiscious, I'm convinced we're going to have a Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, or Hufflepuff traitor.

Alright, now about the whole age thing...first off, according to an interview or chat or something with J. K. Rowling, McGonagall is in her eighties during the books, which makes her around twenty years older than Tom. Lucius is in his forties, if I remember correctly, which makes him around twenty years _younger_. Granted, he may be a bit more than five years older than the Marauders-probably more like ten, but he's going to play a big part in the plot, the way I have things planned out.

But, on the whole, thanks for the reviews! I love reviews like this that point out things that don't fit with canon! I hope you keep reading and pointing out problems!

Neva13: Wow, you really think so? Thanks!

AislinnStar: Glad you understand, and glad you like it!

Lupin's Chic: Thank you! And so do I!

the roller disco queen: Glad you approve! If you want to try another Marauder's school days fic, try Before Harry: The Marauders Tale by Chelles. It's awesome (if a little long)! Here's the update.

Lady Silvamord: Yeah Iknow the last one was just filler. Forgive me? I hope this one's a little better-it will actually affect the rest of the story (at least, I'm pretty sure it will)!

Nooka: Ooh, too bad. But then again, I started school back in August, so you're actuually kind of lucky... ;) Hope you liked the chapter!


	6. Needles, Rome, and Porcupine Quills, oh ...

Disclaimer: Don't own it.

* * *

Chapter Six: Needles, Rome, and Porcupine Quills 

Sirius charmed several female portraits into telling Lily and him where to find the Transfiguration classroom and the two of them managed to arrive just as the bell rang. They grinned at each other and walked into the classroom just behind most of the rest of the class.

As the last bell rang, James, Peter, and Remus sprinted into the room, having gotten lost somewhere along the way. James and Peter collapsed into seats at the back of the room, gasping for breath under McGonagall's stern glare. Remus, who didn't appear to be having any trouble breathing, took the only remaining seat, next to the greasy-haired boy that Sirius had run into at the feast.

Professor McGonagall started off by taking roll. As soon as she finished, she launched into a lecture about how anyone fooling around would leave and not come back. Sirius suppressed a roll of his eyes. As if she would really not let someone back into her class.

After the lecture, she gave detailed instructions on how to perform basic transfigurations. At the back of the room, James was ignoring her in favor of catching up on some of the sleep he had missed the night before.

"Mr. Potter!" a sharp voice said, interupting his brief nap. He looked up to meet the irritated eyes of Professor McGonagall. He was dimly aware of quiet snickering coming from many of the Slytherins, but decided to ignore them as he put on his best "innocent" face.

She didn't buy it. "Five points from Gryffindor for sleeping during class," she snapped, setting a match on the desk in front of him and another in front of Peter before moving on.

James made a face at her back before turning to the match. Not quite sure of what they were supposed to be doing, James nudged Peter. "What're the matches for?" he asked.

"We have to turn them into needles."

James raised his eyebrows. That was it? Just match into needle? No problem. He shrugged and got started.

Up at the front of the room, Sirius had managed to turn his match a dull, grayish color, but he couldn't seem to do anything more. Next to him, Lily hadn't even managed that yet, though she was obviously trying as hard as she could. Suddenly, there came a shout from the back of the room. The whole class turned around to see James holding up a perfect needle with a triumphant grin.

McGonagall strode back to him and turned the needle back into a match. "Do it again."

James smirked and pointed his wand at it. Instantly it turned into a needle. The corners of McGonagall's mouth actually turned up, and she awarded him ten points.

By the end of the hour, only four other people had managed it. Sirius was the first, followed closely by the greasy-haired Slytherin that McGonagall called Severus Snape. Lily was next, and Remus displayed a perfect needle just as the bell rang.

Sirius caught Remus's sleeve as they left the classroom. "Hey, Remus. I...uh...I mean...that is..."

"Forget about it," Remus suggested. "It's fine."

Sirius gave Remus a lopsided grin. "I just didn't think, you know?"

Remus nodded. "Been there, done that," he said.

"Potions next," Lily said, coming up behind them. She nodded at Remus. "Lily Evans."

"Remus Lupin."

She smiled. "Ever been to Rome?" she asked, grinning. Noting the confused looks she was getting, she elaborated. "According to myth, a man named Remus was one of the founders of Rome. He and his twin brother Romulus were raised by wolves, and Remus was eventually killed by one of his brother's followers."

"Comforting thought," Remus said dryly. "Good thing I'm an only child."

"You said it. Where's the Potions classroom?"

"In the dungeons. The Prefects told us on the way to the common room last night. C'mon, I'll show you."

Remus and Sirius exchanged looks before shrugging and following the small redhead.  
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-  
"I am Professor Johns," said the tall, whispy woman at the front of the Potions dungeon. "You are here to learn Potions. Anyone who is not prepared to pay absolute attention at all times can leave now." She looked around, seeming to meet the eyes of each Gryffindor. No one moved. She smiled. "Good."

She tapped the blackboard with her wand. A very complicated list of instructions appeared. Eyes widened and jaws dropped all over the classroom. Lily, Remus, Kevin Price, and a girl named Dorien Callan had all pulled out parchment and were scribbling furiously.

"Now," Professor Johns said, "this potion is called the Draught of Peace. You will /not/ be making it today." Relieved sighs echoed around the dungeon, and Professor Johns smiled as she tapped the board again. A much simpler potion appeared this time.

"/This/ is potion often used to cure boils, and is what you'll be making today. Does anyone have any questions?" No one did, and the Potions Mistress set about partnering people up.

"Black and Potter, Evans and Yanier, Pettigrew and Ross, Price and Callan, Lupin and Drew. Ingredients are in the cupboard, and if you need to ask me anything, just raise your hand." She looked at them for a second. "Well, hop to it."

Sirius and James looked at each other over a cauldron. "I talked to Remus," Sirius said.

James nodded. "I guess I'm sorry for biting your head off."

Sirius shrugged. "I guess I'm sorry for being a prat."

"Black, Potter! Get your ingredients, and get to work!"

"So," James said as they got started, "I saw you and Remus with Evans."

"She's not bad, for a girl," Sirius said, taking the cauldron off the fire so James could add the porcupine quills.

"She's pretty, too," James said, staring at her. Sirius rolled his eyes and dropped the quills in himself. He nudged James.

"She's not that pretty. Now, put your eyes back in and stew the horned slugs."

"Why do I have to stew the horned slugs?"

"Because I put the porcupine quills in."

A loud hissing and a cloud of bright green smoke cut off whatever reply James might have been planning to make. The potion Remus and Tasha Drew had been working on had somehow melted the cauldron. Before anyone else had realized what had, Remus was on his stool, and Tasha was on the table where they had set out their ingredients.

Everyone quickly followed their lead, getting out of the way of the potion until Professor Johns cleared it away. She looked at Remus and Tasha. "Mr. Lupin, Miss Drew. Can either of you tell me what went wrong?"

They looked at each other and shook their heads. "No, ma'am," Tasha said. "We can't."

"Mr. Lupin, read the third line on the board."

"'After taking the cauldron off the fire, add the porcupine quills,'" he read. His face fell. "Oh."

She nodded. "Now can you tell me where you went wrong?"

"We didn't take the cauldron off the fire," Tasha said.

Another nod. "Both of you come back here tonight to redo your potion. Everyone else, your potions should be done. Place a sample on my desk, and you may leave."

James, Sirius, Peter, and Remus met up outside the classroom. "Finally," James said. "Lunch!" The other three laughed.

"How'd you get out of the way of your potion so fast?" Peter asked Remus as the started up the stairs from the dungeons.

Remus looked uncomfortable. "Well, I noticed it was bubbling kind of funny, so I got out of the way, just in case. So," he said, changing the subject, "what was your partner like?"

"Mine was a bit annoying," Sirius said, grinning mischeivously. He laughed at James's mock-angry glare.

"She was okay," Peter said, shrugging. "Bossy, though."

"What about Drew?" James asked.

Remus grinned. "As hopeless at Potions as I am."

"Oh, come on, you're not hopeless," Sirius scoffed. "Even I'm not hopeless."

Remus laughed. "I am."

"It's just following directions," Peter pointed out as they entered the Great Hall and dropped into seats at the end of Gryffindor table.

"Yeah, a long list of fidgety instructions that you have to follow exactly. Give me a wand and spells any day."

Sirius nodded, agreeing with Remus.

"Still," James said thoughtfully, "There's a lot of stuff that works better as a potion than a spell."

"And there's a lot more stuff that works better as a spell."

James rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say, Sirius"

* * *

Author's Note: -hits self repeatedly- Sorry everyone! I know I said that I was going to put chapter six up the same day I put up chapter five, but I had forgotten one very important thing: there was a three-year-old in the house and the floppy was in plain sight. -wince- Let's just say that that version of Chapter Six is gone since I didn't save it anywhere except on the floppy. -smacks head- And then I had some major computer problems-bad enough that I had to get a whole new one. But I'm back! With a new (and hopefully improved from the one that got destroyed) Chapter Six! Yay! AND it's 1,415 words not counting the Disclaimer, title, Author's Notes or review replies. Whee! On to reviews, and thanks for sticking with me! 

Review Replies:

shadow929: I'm sorry I took so long! But here it is! And yes, Sirius's mom will eventually prove James wrong. -cackles- Remus is nice, isn't he? -smiles- Glad you like it!

Nooka: Yeah, last chapter was a bit short. But this one's longer! (now that it's finally here...)

Tikvah Ariel: I love your reviews. They always make me think. Now, Malfoy. Yes, Harry and Ron thought that Draco's dad opened the Chamber, which would imply that he was there at the same time as Riddle. _However_, I doubt that they actually knew how old Mr. Malfoy was. I mean, I sure don't know the ages of _my_ least favorite person's parents. I could be wrong, but I'll bet that they just thought it was Malfoy because of the way they acted (not that I blame them. Slimy git...) and the when they found out that it had been opened before, they just assumed that it had to be Malfoy's dad that did it, and didn't bother to verify their facts. Also, I know wizards live longer than us normal humans, but Malfoy doesn't strike me as being over sixty. Some of that might be the movies, but still... -shrugs- Let's agree to disagree, shall we?

I'm sorry if I offended you with my last reply-I was intending to callRon and Hagrid biased against Slytherin, which they are. I was _not_ intending to call you biased. I'm sorry if that's how it came out.

Thanks for the recommendation-I'll have to check that story out!

LOOPYLOZ: Sorry it took so long! Glad you like it!

Lady Silvamord: Don't worry, the Marauders will definitely have their bumps, thuogh right now they're back togetheragain. As soon as I post this, I'll hop on over and review the chapters I've missed! Sorry it's been so long since my last update. AndI'm working on restoring the next chapter of 5P1S (it got attacked as well), so that should be up sometime before Christmas.

brennqt14: Sorry! I honestly did not mean for it to take this long. I'm glad you like it!


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